Cracking still



Oct. 25, 1927.

' A. A. PHELAN CRACKING STILL Filed Nov. l. 1926 Fatented ll 25, 192?.

ARTHUR A. PHEILAN, 015 L ANGELIES, CALIFORNIA.

CRAGKING: STILL.

Application filed November 1, 1926. Serial Ito. 145,521.

lidy invention relates to the cracking of mineral oils and especially tothe removal of carbon formed during the cracking process.

5 The formation of free carbon during the cracking process of mineraloils is a source of trouble in the apparatus, due to the localoverheating of parts of the apparatus caused by free carbonaccumulation; blistering,

1o buckling and sagging result and breakdowns are of frequentoccurrences.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus wherebythe free carbon formed during the cracking process is removed in acontinuous manner.

In this connection it may be pointed out that without thecontinuousremoval of carbon its accumulation in an apparatus, normally slow atfirst, proceeds progressively as 2 the reaction chamber and the likebecomes fouled and fiocculent free carbon is carried with the vapors tothe detriment of all parts of the apparatus.

The continuous removal of carbon as pro- 2 vided for in this inventionthus lessens the wear and tear, lengthens the endurance and promotes theeiiicienoy of all parts of the apparatus; it is particularly beneficialto tubes, retorts, stills, heating or preheating chambers and the like,as the constant an cumulative gathering of carbon in the parts referredto due to the recycling, refluxing or the addition of new material to becracked in thus prevented.

Profitable disposal of free carbon is one of the problems of the mineraloil products industry. The separation of vapor, liquid and free carbonas provided by my apparatus makes it possible to utilize the carbon toas plant fuel, while-still retaining its heat and being concentrated ina. quantity of liquid sufficient to allow it to How freely to any pointwhere it may If not so utilized it is taken and settled, illtered orotherwise treated before entering again the cycle of operation.

My invention consists of the combination and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this spec'hcation 1ave illustrated an embodiment of my invention and in which Figure 1 Mapparatus;

is a vertical cross section of the be utilized as fuel.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the apparatus taken on line 2-2 ofFig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a stlll, preferably cylindricalin shape, hav- 111g at the to thereof a heated liquid inlet 11 and avapor outlet 12. A vertical parti tron 13 extending from the top of thestill 10 and between the liquid inlet 11 and the vapor outlet 12,extends downwardly to the bottom of the still dividing the still intotwo chambers, the one which receives the liquid inlet 1 shall call theliquid receiving chamber 14 and the other 1n which the vapor outlet islocated, the vapor outlet chamber 15. As. will be observed, I prefer tomake the vapor outlet chamber 15 of considerable larger size than theliquid receiving chamber 14:. At the bottom of the partition 13 Iprovide an opening 16 afijording communication between the two chambers.l arrange a series of bafie'plates 17 in the liquid receiving chamber 14which extend from the partition 13 at an angle downwardly, the outerends of which are spaced from the walls of the still 10. Immediatelybelow the plane of attachment of each baffle plate 17 I provide in thepartition 13 a vapor opening 18. At the bottom of the still there is acarbon outlet pipe 19 controlled by d valve 20.

la the vapor outlet chamber 15 l divide the lower part into twocompartments, the one adjacent to carbon precipitation compartment 21and the other being the overflow compartment 22, by means 0 a shortvertical wall 23 extending upwardly from the bottom of the still 10. Thewall 23 has two hams plates extending downwardly at an angle into thecarbon precipitation compartment 21, the lower one 2% being preferablylonger than the upper bafile plate 25. xtending into the same chamber 21from the partition 13 are two baffle plates 26 and 27, the lower ends ofwhich are spaced from the baffle late 24:, as clearly shown in Figure 1.It will also be noted that the bafiie plate 25 is spaced from baffleplate 26, thus causing the liquid flowing upwardly through the chamber21 to travel in a zig-zag path to overflow into overflow chamber 22.

lhe liquid leaves the still through'outlet pipe 28, the same being incommunication with a pressure equalizer pipe 29, which leads from thevapor chamber 15 above the the partition 13 being aheated from 700 toenters the liquid receiving chamber ,14

through the inlet pipe 11, flowing-down the inclined baflie plates 17 tothe bottom of the still, the liquid accumulating therein both in theliquid receiving chamber 1 1 and vapor outlet chamber 15 by reason ofthe opening, 16, until the'proper liquid level is reached, which will bethe head of vertical partition 23 in the vapor outlet chamber 15. Theoverflow in said partition 23 will be removed by valve controlled outlet28, as explained.

. carbon and mineral oil in the carbon re- The vapor and gases liberatedfromthe liquid and entering the liquid receiving chamber 14 will passunderneath baflle plates 17 and through vapor outlet openings 18 intovapor chamber 15 and out to the vapor outlet 12. The arrangement of thebaflle plates 17 and the vapor openings 18 prevent the free fiocculentcarbon from being carried into the vapor outlet chamber 15 and out withthe vapors and gases through the outlet 12. The carbon will be retainedin the liquid and will accumulate in the lower part of the still. Thebattle plates 24, 25, 26 and 27 in the carbon precipitation chamber willprevent the free carbon from rising to the top of the liquid therein andcause the same to gradually settle into the carbon outlet pipe 19 whenceit may be removed continuously or periodically by the operation of valve20. The carbon free liquid is removed from the still through pipe 28controlled by the liquid level control device 31.

An important feature of the invention is the separation of the lighthydrocarbons from the liquid and carbon which takes place in liquidchamber 14: by the vaporization of the more volatile constituents of theliquid. The flash point of the mixture of moved through carbon outletpipe 19 is sutficiently raised to render the carbon mixed with the oilsuitable for plant fuel.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of myinvention as claimed. I claim: p

1. In an apparatus of the character described the combination of aclosed tank having a heated liquid inlet at thetop, a

a vertical partition vapor outlet at the top,

and between the extending from the top lower part of said mediatelybelow said bafi ie plates, a valve controlled carbon outlet at thebottom of the tank, a short vertical partition in the vapor outletchamber extending upwardly from the bottom of the tank and dividing thelower part .thereof into a carbon precipitation compartment and anoverflow compartment respectively, a series of downwardly inclined andoppositely arranged baflie plates in said carbon precipitationcompartment, a liquid outlet from the overflow compartment and a liquidlevel valve controlling said liquid outlet.

2. In an apparatus of the character de-- scribed the combination of aclosed tank having a heated liquid inlet and a vapor outlet, a verticalpartition between the inlet and outlet extending from the top of the.tank vertically to the bottom, said partition dividing the tank into aliquid receiving chamber and a vapor outlet chamber respectively, anopening in the lower part of said partition affording communicationbetween the liquid receiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, aseries of downwardl inclined bafie plates in the liquid receiving,chamber extending from said partition, the outer ends of said bafiieplates being spaced from the walls of the tank, vapor openings in thepartition immediately below said bafile plates, a valve controlledcarbon dutlet at the bottom of the tank, a short vertical partition inthe vapor outlet chamber dividing the lower part thereof into a carbonprecipitation compartment and an overflow compartment respectively, aseries of oppositely arranged baille plates in said carbon precipitationcompartment and a liquid outa liquid receiving chamber and a vapor out-7 let chamber respectively, a passage in the partition between theliquid receiving chain er and the vapor outlet chamber, a series ofbattle plates in the liquid receiving chamber, vapor o enings in thepartition, a carbon utlet at t e bottom of the tank, a short verticalpartition in the scribed the combination of a closed tank having aheated liquid inlet and a vapor outlet,

a partition extendingfrom-the top and between the liquid inlet and vaporoutlet to the bottom of the tank dividing said tank into a liquidreceiving chamber and a vapor outlet chamber respectlvely, a passage inthe lower part of said partition affording communication between theliquid receiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a series ofbafliing devices arranged in the liquid receiving chamber, vaporopenings in the partition-affording communication between the liquidreceiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a carbon outlet at thebottom of the tank, a partition wall in the vapor outlet chamberdividing the lower part thereof into a carbon 1 precipitationcompartment and an over respectively and a liquid outlet from theoverflow compartment.

5. In an apparatus of the character described the combination of aclosed tank having a heated liquid inlet and a vapor outlet, a partitionextending from the top and between the liquid inlet and vapor outlet toow compartment the bottom of the tank dividing said tank into a liquidreceiving chamber and a vapor outlet chamber respectively, a passage inthe lower part of said partition affording communication between theliquid receiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a series ofbattling devices arranged in the liquid receiving chamber, vaporopenings in the partition afiording communication between the liquidreceiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a carbon outlet at thebottom of the tank and a liquid outlet from the vapor outlet chamber.

6. In an apparatus of the character described the combination of aclosed tank having a heated liquid inlet and a vapor outlet, a partitionextending from the top and between the liquid inlet and vapor outlet tothe bottom of the tank dividing said tank into a liquid receivingchamber and a vapor outlet chamber respectively, a passage in said lowerpart of said partition affording communication between the liquidreceiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a vapor opening in theupper part of the partition affording communication between the liquidreceiving chamber and the vapor outlet chamber, a carbon outlet at thebottom, of the tank and a liquid outlet from the: vapor outlet chamber.

In testimony whereofv I have signed my name to this specification.

- A. PHELAN.

